Uganda to import gold from South Sudan

Juba, February 21, 2017 (SSNA) — A newly established Ugandan gold factory is set to import gold and other gold-related materials from South Sudan, Reutersreported.

Africa Gold Refinery (AGR), the company in question announced that it will process raw gold from the war-torn South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“It’s a very high compliance refinery. We do due diligence for every customer who comes in, ARG’s chief executive officer of Africa, Alain Goetz said.

Reuters also reported that the refinery has an initial output capacity of 300 kilograms of pure gold per week, and the ability to increase that to 500 kilograms eventually.

Goetz said his company will comply with all the regulations and that it will be able to sell gold even to American corporations.

In 2010, the United States passed the Dodd-Frank Act, which “requires companies to disclose whether their products contain minerals from conflict-ridden parts of Africa.”

Goetz claimed his company will use the gold for coins and jewelry.

Meanwhile, a senior Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-In Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) official who demanded anonymity for fear of reprisal says Africa Gold Refinery is simply expanding what he described as “Uganda’s resource-sucking operation in South Sudan,” asserting, “We are fully aware of such a contract.”

“This gold deal between Kiir and Museveni was recently finalized and we are fully aware of such a contract,” the official who declined to elaborate further told the South Sudan News Agency in Nairobi.

South Sudan’s rebels had in the past accused Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is a staunch supporter of South Sudanese President Salva Kiir, of taking advantage of the wealth of the war-wracked young nation.

Uganda is South Sudan’s biggest trading partner and exports massive tons of maize and other items to Juba.

that is when south Sudanese will know the differences between the nuer and other tribes,we thought this rebellion was for all South Sudanese against the bad government and not for the interest of nuer only to rule South Sudan.